1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sump for collecting leakage from fluid piping components within a fuel dispenser. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sump assembly for a fuel dispenser which allows wiring to pass from beneath the pavement of a fueling station, vertically upwards through the footprint of the fuel dispenser without compromising a wall forming the containment area of the sump and without providing access to the soil positioned beneath the footprint of the fuel dispenser for fluid contained within the fuel dispenser, including fuel leaks from the piping contained within the dispenser.
2. Description of the Art
Automotive fueling stations typically include one or more underground storage tanks which store the various fuel products dispensed by the fueling station. Each underground storage tank is connected to one or more fuel dispensers via one or more underground fuel delivery lines. As the fuel delivery line enters the area beneath the footprint of the above ground fuel dispenser, it traverses a vertical wall of a fluid sump positioned beneath the fuel dispenser and extends vertically into the fuel dispenser where it is fluidly connected to a dispenser nozzle. The sump is positioned underground beneath the footprint of the fuel dispenser to collect any fuel leaks from the piping which conveys fuel from the underground fuel delivery line to the dispenser nozzle.
Existing fuel dispenser designs further include electrical conduit which transports wiring underground to a position beneath the footprint of the fuel dispenser and thereafter travels vertically upward into the fuel dispenser. In certain prior designs, such wiring would traverse a vertical wall of the sump to achieve a position below the footprint of the fuel dispenser and would thereafter travel vertically upward into the above ground fuel dispenser. To position the wiring through a vertical wall of the sump, a conduit was formed in the sump wall to accommodate passage of the wiring therethrough. Such a conduit through the vertical wall of the sump creates a leak point for fuel collected in the sump to access the soil surrounding the sump. Furthermore, such a wiring conduit may allow for the passage of ground water into the sump.